Precision evolution: Adapting agriculture at the speed of change

This project aims to advance agricultural systems by addressing the urgent need to meet growing global demands while minimizing environmental impacts. For thousands of years, plants have been improved for productivity, but little focus has been placed on tailoring traits to enhance animal nutrition and reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint.

By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, this project integrates plant genetics, animal nutrition, microbiome physiology and artificial intelligence to develop plants that improve feed efficiency, reduce methane emissions from dairy cows, and enhance nitrogen use efficiency.

With the global food system under increasing strain from population growth and climate change, this work is critically needed. By creating a feedback loop between plant modifications, animal performance, and environmental outcomes, this initiative will provide practical solutions while training the next generation of scientists in machine learning and genomics. It represents a transformative step toward sustainable, integrated systems, positioning UW–Madison as a leader in this field.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Natalia de Leon, professor of plant and agroecosystem sciences

CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Sebastian Arriola, assistant professor of animal and dairy science

Joao Dorea, associate professor of animal and dairy science

Shawn Kaeppler, professor of plant and agroecosystem sciences

Hilario Mantovani, assistant professor of animal and dairy science

Francisco Penagaricano, associate professor of animal and dairy science

Sushmita Roy, professor of biostatistics and medical informatics

Rebecca Smith, assistant professor of plant and agroecosystem sciences